2018 has not been a great year for movies but that doesn’t mean that there are no good movies coming in 2019.
Outside of the Marvel movies, which I always enjoy, there hasn’t been a lot that’s thrilled me. The lone exception would have to be The Endless, which was a pleasant surprise.
Looking at 2019, I’m not expecting much from the Men in Black spinoff, the X-Men: Dark Phoenix sequel, the Shazam action/comedy with Zach Levi from Chuck, or even the new Joker movie with Joaquin Phoenix.
But there is a long list of movies that I’m expecting to entertain me in 2019.
2019 Movies: The Blockbusters
First off, let’s make quick mention of the films that everyone knows is coming. Each of these could easily warrant its own article, but these are likely all movies you already know about.
Infinity War Part 2 (May 3)
The Last Avenger? Avengers Assemble? Avengers Annihilation? We still don’t know the name of Marvel’s capstone film. But it’s nearly guaranteed to be the biggest film of 2019.
Star Wars IX (December 20)
In keeping with a theme, we don’t yet know the title of the ninth and final episode of the Star Wars saga. The Last Jedi stirred a lively debate in the Star Wars fan community about whether the film was good or not, and why. The final Star Wars film has its work cut out for it.
Captain Marvel (March 8)
I’ve been looking forward to seeing Carol Danvers on-screen since the Captain Marvel movie was first announced. I’m anticipating a wild ride a la Guardians of the Galaxy, and a great lead-up to the second half of Infinity War.
Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 5)
Seeing how Peter Parker manages his comparatively normal life after the insanity of The Infinity War, especially now that Aunt May knows his secret, should make for an interesting film.
2019 Movies: New Material
There are a number of films I hadn’t heard of until I started researching them for this article. There’s certainly no way to tell whether any of these will be good, but I’ve got high hopes.
Captive State (March 29)
Set in a Chicago neighborhood nearly a decade after an occupation by an extra-terrestrial force, Captive State explores the lives on both sides of the conflict – the collaborators and dissidents.
Captive State looks like it draws inspiration from 1984, District 9, and Half-Life 2. Color me interested.
Ad Astra (May 24)
Twenty years after his father left on a one-way mission to Neptune in order to find signs of extra-terrestrial intelligence, Roy McBride, an Army Corps engineer travels through the solar system to find him and understand why his mission failed.
Ad Astra is going to feature Brad Pitt and has been compared by its director to Heart of Darkness. Personally, it reminds me of Interstellar, which I loved. The forthcoming film has been described as “the most realistic depiction of space travel that’s been put in a movie”. No warp drive here, I guess.
Terminator 6 (November 1)
Like so many others, this film has not yet been named. And I know what you’re thinking – it’s going to be terrible. But unlike the poor follow-up to T2 which included an ill-advised “terminatrix”, the forgettable fourth film with Batman John Connor, and the surprisingly passable Terminator Genisys with Emilia Clarke, the sixth Terminator movie has a number of points in its favor.
First, it’s the first film since Terminator 2 to have James Cameron behind the wheel. James Cameron! And he’s making it as a direct sequel to T2: Judgement Day. He’s ignoring the terminatrix, and pretending that Batman John Connor and Genisys never happened.
Best of all, Sarah Connor will be played again by Linda Hamilton. Linda Hamilton! The bad guy Terminator is going to be the guy who played Ghost Rider in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. In the end, the quality of the movie will depend mostly on the quality of the script.
Maybe they’ll write something like the plot idea I had back in 2007.
2019 Movies: Family Films
If you’re looking to go to the movies with the whole family, 2019 absolutely has you covered.
Frozen 2 (November 22)
The sequel to the best Disney film this millennium, the second Frozen movie is undoubtedly going to be huge.
Reportedly, Anna and Elsa will be traveling far out of Arendelle for a bigger and more epic adventure than in the first film. There are rumors that it has something to do with their parents’ journey, but nothing conclusive.
Toy Story 4 (June 21)
Woody has always been confident about his place in the world and that his priority is taking care of his kid, whether that’s Andy or Bonnie. But when Bonnie adds a reluctant new toy called Forky to her room, a road trip adventure alongside old and new friends will show Woody how big the world can be for a toy.
Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (February 8)
It’s been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are facing a huge new threat: LEGO DUPLO® invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than they can rebuild.
The battle to defeat them and restore harmony to the LEGO universe will take Emmet, Lucy, Batman, and their friends to faraway, unexplored worlds, including a strange galaxy where everything is a musical. It will test their courage, creativity and Master Building skills, and reveal just how special they really are.
The Lion King (July 19)
Disney isn’t cutting any corners with the live-action remake of The Lion King. They’ve got Elton John working on reprising his music for the film, and Beyonce is aiding him in the process.
The cast is top-notch as well. Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé as Nala, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, John Oliver as Zazu, Billy Eichner as Timon, and Seth Rogen as Pumbaa. They also got Chiwetel Ejiofor to play Skar. You may remember his performance as Mordo in Doctor Strange.
Aladdin (May 24)
Continuing the trend of live-action remakes of popular Disney cartoons, they’re redoing Aladdin. Filling Robin Williams’ shoes won’t be easy, but I’m willing to give Will Smith a try. He’s got that personality-turned-to-eleven thing going on.
2019 will also be bringing us a live-action Dumbo remake, the Artemis Fowl movie adaptation, the Jumanji sequel, a Minecraft movie starring Steve Carrell, and the third movie in the How to Train Your Dragon series.
Horror
I’m not normally a horror fan, but a few 2019 horror films did catch my attention.
It, Chapter Two (September 6)
Most children of the eighties have seen the 1990 Steven King miniseries starring Tim Curry as Pennywise. The recent remake was better than I’d have expected, and the choice to split the movie in halves worked out well.
2019 brings us the second half, wherein the children have grown up and are now returning to Derry, Maine. It looks like they’re being played by Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, and Bill Hader.
The New Mutants (August 2)
Making an X-Men movie into a horror film is a decision I hadn’t expected. But it’s an X-Men movie, so I’ll be watching it.
The movie includes Game of Thrones‘s Maisie Williams as Wolfsbane and Stranger Things‘s Charlie Heaton as Cannonball.
Grudge (June 21)
I don’t watch many horror films, and I haven’t been truly freaked out by a movie often. The one that did it for me was 2004’s The Grudge. And now it’s being remade.
Pet Semetary (April 5)
A doctor who moves his family out of the big city to the country. There he discovers that they have moved near a pet cemetery that rests on an ancient burial ground, and when his toddler son is killed in an auto accident, he takes the boy’s body to the cemetery, where it is resurrected in demonic form.
I never read the Stephen King book, and never saw the B-movie from the eighties. But I have little doubt that this version will have better production values than the original.
Sequels and Reboots
Glass (January 18)
M Night Shyamalan’s odd not-superhero trilogy started with 2000’s Unbreakable, and people were initially surprised to learn that 2016’s Split was, in fact, a stealth sequel. Very soon, in January 2019, we’ll be getting a third film.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31)
Although I’ve seen the more recent Godzilla films, they just weren’t memorable for me. The main thing about this one that grabbed my attention is the fact that it’s got Stranger Things’s Millie Bobbie Brown.
Hellboy (April 12)
David Harbour is picking up the mantle left by Ron Perlman. When I first saw Hellboy, I was pleasantly surprised to find that a movie I expected to be bad was in fact actually very good. I’m hopeful that this new iteration can continue that trend.
2019 Movies: Adaptations
The Rhythm Section (February 22)
After the death of her family in an airplane crash on a flight that she was meant to be on, Stephanie Patrick discovers the crash was not an accident. She then seeks to uncover the truth by adapting the identity of an assassin to track down those responsible.
Chaos Walking (March 1)
At first glance, Chaos Walking is standard dystopian world YA fare. The two things that caught my attention are that the
Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland’s presence, and the premise: in this setting, everyone can hear each others’ thoughts.
Alita: Battle Angel (February 14)
I’m not a Manga fan, but when I noticed that James Cameron was this film’s producer, I took notice. That’s when I realized that the cast includes Jackie Earle Haley, Mahershala Ali, and Jennifer Connely.
POKÉMON Detective Pikachu (May 10)
I know nothing whatsoever about Pokemon. But my kids will love this.
It looks like the long-awaited sequels Top Gun: Maverick and Bill and Ted Face the Music aren’t coming until 2020. We’ve waited long enough for those, so what’s another year?
